UN urges European countries to land 160 stranded migrants in the Mediterranean

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160 migrants have been detained for two weeks on board two merchant ships of the company Captain Morgan, near the Maltese coast. They must land ashore, says the UN, which calls on the European Union to agree urgently on the relocation of people rescued at sea.

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The UN, which calls for European solidarity, is not new, it has been a question of a migrant distribution agreement for years, said spokeswoman Carlotta Sami. “  We know that it is possible, however. Besides, Thursday morning, 17 people left Malta for France. It shows that by taking all the necessary precautions in the current situation it is possible to be united.  "

Malta denounces this lack of solidarity. But the situation must not lead to a violation of human rights, warn the NGOs. In April, the Maltese police allegedly gave petrol, life vests and even a new engine to migrants intercepted in the Maltese rescue zone, indicating the route to Italy.

“  There are investigations in progress, I cannot comment, explains Carlotta Sami. But people have been sent back to Libya many times. And not only are we sending them back to Libya, but we can see that it also corresponds to the fact that the states are disengaging from rescue at sea, this has become more and more visible in recent months.  "

There are no longer any dedicated rescue vessels off the coast of Libya. This does not prevent departures: more than 6,600 attempts from March to April, three times more than last year.

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• Malta
• Libya
• UN
• International Migration

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